Tether is a company that issues the USDT stablecoin, which is pegged to the US dollar. It is primarily used as a medium of exchange and store of value within cryptocurrency markets. Tether Holdings Limited has faced regulatory scrutiny and legal challenges regarding the composition of its reserve assets, including a 2021 CFTC settlement. Led by CEO Paolo Ardoino, Tether relocated its group headquarters to El Salvador in January 2025 after obtaining a Digital Asset Service Provider license.
Within the DeFi Intel graph, Tether connects to 109 tracked entities, most strongly to Tether USD, Paolo Ardoino, Bitcoin (BTC).
Issuer of USDT, the largest stablecoin by market cap (~$140B).
Investors
Bitfinex Exchange
Partners
Bitfinex Exchange
Binance Exchange
Coinbase Exchange
Kraken Exchange
Products
USDT Stablecoin
EURT Stablecoin
XAUT Gold‑backed stablecoin
MXNT Stablecoin
Funding
Key people
Paolo Ardoino CEO
Timeline & market context
Amber line: BTC price over the last year. Dots: dated events (hack/incident red, fundraise green, partnership blue, launch purple, regulatory amber, news grey).
Frequently asked questions
What is Tether?
Tether is a company that issues the USDT stablecoin, which is pegged to the US dollar and primarily used as a medium of exchange and store of value within cryptocurrency markets.
What regulatory issues has Tether faced?
Tether Holdings Limited has faced regulatory scrutiny and legal challenges regarding the composition of its reserve assets.
What actions has Tether taken with US law enforcement?
Tether froze $344M USDT in coordination with U.S. law enforcement, helping U.S. feds by freezing $344m in USDT tied to crime.